Rain cape



'July 5, 1966 A. KLEIN 3,258,781

RAIN CAPE Filed April 27, 1965 /NvE/vrof?.

, Anne Kleln ATTOR N EYS.

United States Patent O 3,258,781 RAIN CAPE Anne Klein, 165 E. 66th St.,New York, N.Y. Filed Apr. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 451,262 3 Claims. (Cl.2-88) This invention relates to wearing apparel and more particularly itrelates to a rain cape.

The invention has reference more especially to a rain cape for women andchildren being especially constructed so that it can be supportedentirely from the head of the wearer and so that it can be worn over anytype of outer coat and/ or dress regardless of the size or shape of thecollar of said outer coat without being distorted itself and withoutdistorting the parts of the garments worn beneath the cape.

Among the objects of the invention therefore, is to provide a rain capeadapted to be worn over any type of outer coat.

Among other objects of the invention is to provide a rain cape which canbe opened and closed from the inside and which leaves the wearers armsfree to operate the openings in the cape and to reach objects andmanipulate objects held by the cape while being protected from the rain.

The objects of the invention are attained by providing a rain cape witha head covering portion and with substantially straight seams to followthe head contour and dependent upon the width of the material from whichit is cut, to continue straight to the hem, or should the material fromwhich the raincape is out be of a narrow width, head seams willterminate in a horizontal seam intermediate the top portion and the hem.For example, the horizontal seam may start at the base of chin andcontinue around the circumference of the cape. At all times the capewill hang from the head and contains no shoulders. The cape is open atthe front and is provided with a slide fastened operable from either theinside or outside for closing the same at the front opening. The cape isalso provided with a pair of arm slits closable by slide fastenersspaced on opposite sides of the front opening. The slide fasteners ofsaid slits are also operable from either the inside or outside of thecape. Positioned between each edge of front opening and the respectivearm slits are patch pockets applied to the inside of the cape.

Although the cape is made without formed shoulders therein, a drawstringmay be provided in the region which is to extend between the shouldersand head of the wearer so that the adjustment of said drawstringsenables the wearer to support the weight of said cape from theshoulders.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, reference is made in describing the same to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a side perspective view of the rain cape of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a view of the inside of the cape partly cut away.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 3 with theslide fastened partly open however.

The cape shown has the head portion provided with a visor 11. Aside fromthe visor 11, the cape comprises a pair of front panels 12 and 13 and apair of rear panels 14 and 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the curved top edgeICC 20 of side panel 13 determines the fullness of the head portionformed; the edge of panel 15 being united to the edge of panel 13.Panels 12 and 14 are united similarly and symmetrically with respect topanels 13 and 15. From thehead portion 10 of the garment to the hem 16each of the panels 12-15 diverge and are united at seams 21, 22, 23which are substantially straight.

As shown in FIG. 2, the adjacent edges of front panels 12 and 13 haveslide fastener attachments 30.

Slits spaced from the open edge of panels 12 and 14 are also providedwith slide fasteners 31 and 32.

Patch pockets 25 (only one shown) are also provided on the insidesurface of said cape as illustrated in FIG. 3. Such pockets can take anyform or shape and may be open at the top and/ or side. A separate pocketmay be provided for a folding umbrella. However, the pocket ispreferably positioned between the open edge of the front panel 12 or 13and the slide fastener 31 or 32 of the slit in the front panel.

As shown in FIGS. l and 2, the cape when closed has an opening 17 forthe face of the wearer. A drawstring 26 may be provided below opening 17so that the cape may be contracted as desired to enable the wearer tosupport some of the weight from the shoulders.

As shown in FIG. 4, the slide fasteners 32 is provided with a closingdevice 34 having an operating tab or handle 35 exposed at the inside ofthe cape as well as an operating tab or handle 36 exposed at the outsidethereof. Slide fasteners 30 and 31 are similarly constructed so as to beoperable from the inside or the outside of the cape. In the cape shown,the front and arm slits thereof are closed as shown in FIG. 2 when thetabs 36 are at the upper portion thereof. The slide fasteners 31 and 32can be reversed, if desired, so as to be closed when the tabs 35 and 36are at the lower ends of the slits.

In use, the opened cape as shown in FIG. 3 is placed over the dress -orouter coat with the cap portion 10 on the head. The drawstring 26 may beadjusted and tied so that the cape is comfortably positioned withrespect to the coat therebeneath. Thereafter, the front slide fastener30 is operated to close the cape. From that time until the cape isremoved all necessary operations such as making change, storing parcelsin the pockets 25, making use of an umbrella held within the pockets,etc., can be done through slits 31, 32 without removing the cape oropening the front slide fastener 30.

The features and principles underlying the invention described above inconnection with specific exemplifications will suggest to those skilledin the art many other modifications thereof. It is accordingly desiredthat the appended claims shall not be limited to any specific feature ordetails thereof.

I claim:

I 1. In a rain cape the improved construction comprising a head coveringportion,

a plurality of panels connected at the head covering portion andconnected to each other by means of substantially straight seamsextending from `the top of the head covering portion toward the hemthereof,

said cape having a straight sided front opening extending from the neckportion thereof to `the hem and being provided with a cooperating pairof a first slide fastener connecting means,

a pair of arm slits formed on opposite sides of said front opening whichare connectable by said first slide fastener connecting means,

isecond and -third slide fastener means for closing and opening each ofsaid slits, pockets attached to the inside of said cape in the regionbetween the slits and the edges of the panels containing the rst slidefastener connecting means, each of said iirst, second, and third slidefasteners including a pulling tab exposed on the inside thereof and apulling tab exposed on the outside thereof. 2. The cape as dened inclaim 1 comprising a visor positioned on said head covering portion andan opening for the face below said visor.

3. The cape as defined in claim 2 comprising a drawstring positionedbelow the opening for said face.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK I. COHEN,Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner'.

R. J. SCANLAN, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A RAIN CAPE THE IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A HEAD COVERINGPORTION, A PLURALITY OF PANELS CONNECTED AT THE HEAD COVERING PORTIONAND CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER BY MEANS OF SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT SEAMSEXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE HEAD COVERING PORTION TOWARD THE HEMTHEREOF, SAID CAPE HAVING A STRAIGHT SIDED FRONT OPENING EXTENDING FROMTHE NECK PORTION THEROF TO THE HEM AND BEING PROVIDED WITH A COOPERATINGPAIR OF A FIRST SLIDE FASTENER CONNECTING MEANS, A PAIR OF ARM SLITSFORMED ON OPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRONT OPENING WHICH ARE CONNECTABLE BYSAID FIRST SLIDE FASTENER CONNECTING MEANS, SECOND AND THIRD SLIDEFASTENER MEANS FOR CLOSING AND OPENING EACH OF SAID SLITS, POCKETSATTACHED TO THE INSIDE OF SAID CAPE IN THE REGION BETWEEN THE SLITS ANDTHE EDGES OF THE PANELS CONTAINING THE FIRST SLIDE FASTENER CONNECTINGMEANS, EACH OF SAID FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD SLIDE FASTENERS INCLUDING APULLING TAB EXPOSED ON THE INSIDE THEREON AND A PULLING TAB EXPOSED ONTHE OUTSIDE THEREOF.